Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-04-13
A Terrible Tragedy Recalled.

The city of Havana has recently been the
scene Of memorable events. La Lucha, the
enterprising Havana paper to which large
measure of credit is due for the defence Of
justice to the Cubans, publishes an account
of the dramatic incidents which have led to
q viHdication of the innocence of the eight
medical students who were officially mur-
dered sixteen years ago These eight stu.
dents, from sixteen to twenty one years OLD.
were after mock trial held under mob
pressure, put to death amid frantic applause,
and thirty.one more were sent to the State
prison for the supposed crime of having pro-
famed the sepulchre of Gonzalo Castanon, an
ill advised journalist who, in consequence of
a dispute with the friends of the revolution.
lists, had met his death in Key West some
months before. The vault showed not SIM
gle trace of proclamation, and line made
long before in the crystal covering the flow
er offerings was all that could have beer at
tributed had it not been full Of moisture at
the date of the EVENT. to disrespeclful
hand. The Spaniards among the students
were set at liberty. One Of the students shot
was not even in the cemetery on the date OF
the alleged proclamation. Only Fernando
Capdevla, noble officer of the army,
charged with the task Of defending the stu
dents, had the courage to utter in the trial
a few brave words, for which he barely es-
capped paying with his life at the hands of
the mob, i'll disposed 10 countenance any
but sangunary termination. Thousands
of armed men filled the streets day and
night, surrounded the prison, packed the
corridors of the Generals palace, yelled con-
tinuously for the death of the students and
succeeded in bringing the government to
yield to their demands under the cover ot
trial by court martial which held sessions at
the point Of the bayonets OF the lawbreakers.
1t was the son Of one Of the hercest among
these. & boy of sixteen, who had picked
rose in the garden of the cemetery, that was
first selected to be shot, and that, too, with
the very rifles to the buying OF which his
own wealthy farther had largely contrib
uted Four of his classmates, who had been
playing with wheebarrow, followed imme-
diately after. II is said that the unworthy
tribunal had compromised with the mob FOL
the death OF eight of the prisoners, and that
the three additional victims required were
chosen by lot The unfortunate boys
met death courage usly-not knee trem-
bled. Some were shot in the head, some in
the heart The eight corpses were laid,
without q name, a cross or stone, under
the earth, four northward four southwark.
But justice has her ways, and through the
courage of Fermin Valdes Deminguez, one
of the surviving classmates who was sent to
prison, the innocence of his friends has
been so fully and strikiugly demonstrated
that the affair is to-day the talk of the
island. A subscription to erect monu-
paent to the students is being quickly raised
by Spanards and Cubans alike, in Cuba, in
Spain and in New York. Permission was
accorded to Valdes D0minguez to recover, if
possible, The remains Of the students from
the secluded spot where they were buried.
and after himself working incessantly for
two days with his bare arms, aided py
friend and the negro gravediggers. at last
discovered all that was left on earth of his
dead friends eight skeletons lying side by
side, the skulls and ribs bent by the mis-
siles of the shooting party. A silk cravat,
some collars buttons aad few silver buck.
les were all that could be found to identify
the victims of this historic crime.